1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surgical suture passing instrument, and more specifically to a hand instrument for passing suture in arthroscopic tissue repair procedures.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Arthroscopic reattachment, of a rotator-cuff tendon for example, often requires the surgeon generally to attach a length of suture material remotely to an internal body part, and then to secure the suture to another part. In a typical example, suture is passed through a detached tendon and is then secured to a hole or anchor in a bone. Various instruments have been developed for this purpose. U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,820 to Caspari describes a suture instrument that has a pair of relatively-movable jaws. A piercing needle with a hook is fixed to one of the jaws. The other jaw holds a length of suture. When the jaws are closed together, the needle pierces the tissue between them. The suture is picked up by the hook end of the needle and pulled back through the tissue as the jaws are opened. This instrument is relatively bulky, which is disadvantageous for arthroscopic surgery. In addition, the instrument has no independent control over whether the suture engages the hook once the jaws are closed.